* 



THE TURKEY BUZZARD. 259 



power given to them (the vultures) by nature of discerning the 

 approaching death of a wounded animal is truly remarkable." By 

 way of exemplification, he continues, " A poor emaciated horse or 

 ox, the deer mired in the margin of the lake, where the timid animal 

 had resorted to escape flies and musquitoes, so fatiguing in summer, 

 is seen in distress with exultation by the buzzard. He immediately 

 alights, and, if the animal does not extricate itself, waits, and gorges 

 in peace on as much of the flesh as the nature of the spot will allow." 

 H^re the author at once invalidates his assertion of the remarkable 

 power given by nature to the vulture, by the insertion of the 

 unfortunate little remark, if it does not extricate itself. The vulture 

 alights, ready to feed on the flesh of the deer, if it does not extricate 

 itself. Now the expression, if it does not eoctricate itself, gives us to 

 suppose that it may extricate itself; and, if it does extricate itself, 

 then off it goes, and of course escapes from the vulture. Wherefore, 

 in this instance, nature would have given false information to the 

 vulture. 



In closing his account, our author says, " What I have said of their 

 killing land devouring young animals are" (instead of is) "sufficient 

 proofs " (proof) " of this ; but it frequently happens that these birds 

 are forced to wait until the hide of their prey will give way to their 

 bills." In order to substantiate this, our author produces an alligator. 

 " I have seen," says he, "a large dead alligator, surrounded by vultures 

 and carrion crows, of which nearly the whole of the flesh was so com- 

 pletely decomposed, before these birds could perforate the tough 

 skin of the monster, that, when at last it took place," (what took 

 place ?) " their disappointment was apparent, and the matter, in an 

 almost fluid state, abandoned by the vultures." Here we have the 

 singular phenomenon of vultures surrounding their own dinner, 

 without being able to touch it, for want, I may say, of suitable 

 carving-knives ; and at last they are forced to depart on an empty 

 stomach, bearing marks on their countenances of apparent disap- 

 pointment. I ask, what became of the enormous mass of flesh in 

 the alligator's tail ? was z/, too, in an almost fluid state, similar to 

 that of the contents of the abdomen ? Had, then, the first stage of 

 putrefaction done nothing towards the softening of the skin, which, 

 in the tail of this animal, is by no means so thick as in the dorsal 



